There's a lot content packed into the four lessons of this physical science unit on density. From salad dressing to the water cycle and hot air balloons, these lessons engage students in hands-on activities that explore real-world examples of density.

Concepts

mass, volume, density, floating, sinking and floating, engineering design, hot air balloons

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Teach these lessons as a series, or choose specific lessons to supplement into your own physical or earth science curriculum
• Have students combine the liquids of different densities in a plastic bottle with a lid, allowing them to stir the mixture and watch the liquids separate

Classroom Considerations

• Depending on the age of your students, additional scaffolding may be required to support them with creating water cycle models
• A variety of materials not usually found in the classroom are required for these lessons, so be sure to plan ahead
• The hot air balloon activity requires outdoor space and calls for an open flame

Pros

• A table of contents assists teachers in locating specific lessons and supporting materials in this document
• All worksheets and other printable materials necessary for the unit are provided
• An end of unit assessment is included with an answer key
• A teacher reference document is provided that explains the science and math relating to density

Cons

• The PowerPoint presentation mentioned in the unit plan is not included, but the lessons can still be taught without it

Common Core

RST.6-8.3 RST.6-8.4 RST.6-8.9